In spite of the mistimed debut two days prior for the one player that will truly make Friday’s sold out AC Milan/Chelsea match at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore a special one, here are four reasons to make sure you’re there or tuning in to ESPN (8 p.m.).
Oguchi Onyewu makes history » The 6-foot-4, 210-pound son of Nigerian parents was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Olney, Md. But instead of playing linebacker, the former teenage soccer prodigy completed his journey to the highest level of the game this summer, joining AC Milan to become the first American-born U.S. national team player in Serie A since Alexi Lalas represented Padova in 1994-95. His first appearance for the Rossoneri should’ve been this match, not in Atlanta on Wednesday.
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Speaking of guys that belong in the NFL » Onyewu’s toughest mark in a blue jersey will be forward Didier Drogba, a strapping 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive nightmare from Ivory Coast. England national team regulars John Terry and Frank Lampard are the face of Chelsea, but Drogba scored the first goal in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
Ancelotti faces his old team » New Chelsea manager Carlos Ancelotti joined the London club this summer from none other than AC Milan, where he won the Champions League twice as a coach and twice as a player. The Italian side’s new coach is Leonardo, a Brazilian whose shocking elbow to the head of Tab Ramos signaled the end of United States’ magical run in the 1994 World Cup.
Kaka might be gone, but Ronaldinho remains » The seemingly always smiling Brazilian, the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, is trying to regain the form that led him to career-high 21 goals for Barcelona in 2006-07. Ronaldinho used to wear the No. 10 shirt for the Spaniards, but in deference to Clarence Seedorf, he chose to put 80 on his back. It’s not for Jerry Rice, but simply his birth year.